Association of obesity with symptoms and characteristics of COPD: Results from COSYCONET

Background: Body weight plays an intricate role in COPD, as obesity can impair lung function and thus affect COPD categorization. We asked to which extent overweight and obesity contribute to various clinical COPD scores taking into account lung function and potentially restrictive pattern (PRISm, preserved ratio and impaired spirometry). Methods: Patients of the longitudinal COSYCONET cohort were included, irrespective of their value of FEV 1 /FVC. Outcomes were the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) questionnaire, the COPD Assessment Test (CAT), CAT question #4 (dyspnea upon exertion), the St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) and its domains Activity, Impact and Symptoms, and the EQ-5D-VAS (EuroQoL-5-dimension) questionnaire for generic quality of life. Body mass index (BMI) was categorized into